[Naka-ku, Nagoya] Q.O.L. COFFEE, a Roaster Cafe where the Owner Shima Honed his Skills in Melbourne

​"QOL COFFEE" is located on the corner of the Otsubashi intersection, in the middle of the Sakae Hisaya Odori area and the Nagoya Castle area. It is a specialty coffee roaster cafe opened in June 2017 by the owner who honed his skills in Melbourne, Australia.

Q.O.L." stands for Quality of Life. As the name suggests, Q.O.L. carefully selects the world's finest coffees from around the world, roasts them daily, and offers and sells only the best beans in good condition. In this interview, we asked the owner, Mr. Shima, about the secret story leading up to the opening, specialty coffees, and more!

My dream is to be a coffee shop master

Owner Yuya Shima

First, I would like to ask about Mr. Shima's background.

Mr. Shima: Ever since I can remember, my dream has been to become a coffee shop master.When I was a child, my parents would often take me to coffee shops, and even as a child, I liked the atmosphere. I even wrote in my graduation essay that I wanted to be the master of a coffee shop (laughs). It became

The six years of junior high and high school were spent in basketball. However, in my last year of high school, we were defeated in final league in Aichi Prefecture and was unable to participate in the Inter-High. I was so immersed in basketball that I forget about other things, so I was worried about how I should live then. At that moment, my childhood dream came true. I was thinking about going to college, but I decided to shift to what I needed to do to run a coffee shop and go to a vocational school to learn cooking techniques. ”

Full-fledged on the path of a barista

When you enter the store, you will be greeted by a large roasting machine. The coffee beans are roasted carefully every day with this roaster.

After graduating, Mr. Shima learned cooking techniques at a total of more than 10 restaurants, including more authentic Italian cuisine. After that, when I got a job at a coffee shop, I was absorbed in the coffee path.

They purchase high-quality beans from all over the world according to the harvest season.

raw coffee beans. It seems that they roast at the temperature and time that match the characteristics of each.

Mr. Shima: “I learned all the cooking skills, so I thought I needed to learn more about coffee, so I got a job at a long-established coffee shop in Nagoya in Higashi Ward. After working there for about eight years, I quit. I wanted to improve my skills as a barista and also a full-fledged roaster, so I got a job at a coffee shop in Gifu. On my days off, I practiced roasting, and at that time I invested a lot in myself. .

While I was studying in earnest, I started to want to go to Melbourne, the home of cafes. I decided to go to Melbourne because I wanted to study and work in earnest in a place where coffee culture is deeply rooted, because coffee is something I will continue to do for a long time to come. ”

Head to Melbourne, home of coffee

Coffee beans can be purchased from 100g.

Mr. Shima: "Melbourne is full of cafes, so I thought I would be able to find a place to work soon. However, I wrote about 50 resumes in a month and a half, but I couldn't get one. I got married right before I went to Australia (laughs). I didn't have much time or money, and I was over 30. Working holiday visas didn't work, so I was studying on a student visa.

At first I went to school during the day and looked for a job in the afternoon, but the custom of going to a cafe in the morning over there is so ingrained that the stores close in the afternoon. So I had the school change to nighttime and changed my style so that I could find a job while it was still light. But I still couldn't decide, so I went to a barista school just to get information. I really felt like I was hanging on to my job. My wife was in Japan, and my funds were dwindling. I was mentally on edge because I had to open a restaurant when I got back.

I finally found a restaurant to work at and started my training as a barista.

Ms. Shima: "I had some introductions at barista schools, but there were no openings. When it finally became too much, I decided to go back and look for an area that I liked. I wanted to work here! I took my resume to the store and said, 'I want to work here!' But I was told that they were full that day, so I gave up, and the next day I got a call asking if I wanted to come in for a trial.

The trial was a test to see if I could run the store and make lattes. I did what they told me to do while ordering, making cappuccinos, lattes, etc. Then they told me to come back tomorrow and I could finally work.

Even while I was working as a barista for about four months, more and more other people were bringing in their resumes. If they had better language skills than I did, and more skills than I had, you never know when you might get fired, so I practiced every day after work, and I worked really hard at it."

The importance of a cup that I felt because I worked in a foreign country

In Melbourne, the café culture is so ingrained that lines form in the morning, so speed is of the essence.

Mr. Shima: "In Melbourne, the volume of people coming to the store is also very high. We have to speed up to keep up. It depends on the store but there are three people working on the espresso machine, one steaming, and one pouring. You also need to have the right cups for the menu, whether it is mocha, chai, or more espresso. Anyway, it was difficult unless I hammered it into my body, and I managed to get them to use it without getting fired by the end of the day.

I was happy when customers gradually remembered me and I was able to communicate with them. Even if you have many years of experience in Japan, working in a foreign country is different even if you are doing the same job. I learned the importance of having a cup from my experience over there. And it was more than anything that I touched the authentic culture.

In Melbourne, weekly cupping sessions (*putting finely ground beans in a cup and pouring hot water over them to check the taste and aroma) are held in various locations. I thought I would not be able to go to such a place until I started working. I thought I wouldn't want to go to such a place until I started working, but I didn't need that kind of pride. It was also a place where baristas from all over the world gathered to share information, such as information that a barista at a particular restaurant was going to be available. I realized that you can't get good information unless you move, and you don't need to stick to your proud.